


The Protector

by 46hasu



Series: Of Wolves and Ocarinas [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Big Bro Wars, Dehydration, Fluff, Gen, Starvation, Warriors nearly dies, Young Time, a little world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:00:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26862514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/46hasu/pseuds/46hasu
Summary: When Hylia turned against the fairies with her owls, Warriors had been one of the fools that chose to fight against her.
Relationships: Mask & Warriors (Linked Universe), Time & Warriors (Linked Universe)
Series: Of Wolves and Ocarinas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1929757
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The Protector

**Author's Note:**

> This work takes place years and years before Song of the Woods, when Hylia had just started to turn everyone to stone and when Warriors and Time were both still kids.

They were fools. 

They hadn’t been in a proper war for decades. The only time they took up arms was in a minor territory skirmish that Warriors was too young to participate in. 

Artemis slumped against a nearby tree, trying to catch her breath. He frowned in sympathy. 

Technically speaking, they were both still too young to fight even in their Clan’s standards. But their numbers were too small and he had been eager to volunteer. 

“Anyone else made it out?” Artemis asked after controlling her breathing. 

“I think I saw Impa not too far from here,” he answered. “But I lost sight of her when we retreated. Don’t think Volga made it out, and I am not sure about the rest.” 

Artemis cursed and kicked a rock. “Curse that witch.” 

Ah, so that’s what they’re calling Hylia now. Warriors couldn’t help but think it suited her now. Stripping her of her deity status can be the beginning of her punishment for her aggression. 

“What now?” he found himself asking. They lost the bare number of faeries they managed to convince them to fight. They were already spread out too thin in the human realm, drunk on the era of peace and prosperity to take proper precautions. 

“Attacking Hylia head-on was a mistake,” Artemis pushed herself off the tree. “Our best course of action is to locate the last wolf and protect them from the witch until they sing their song.” 

“I thought they were being raised in the Woods,” he said. “Hylia won’t dare to attack the Children of the Woods head-on.” 

Warriors personally thought the Woods was an entity of its own rather than a location. It was fiercely protective of its children and remained neutral in every affair. It was blind to others’ suffering and plea for help and shelter. He should know, they had attempted to ask for help against Hylia only to be met with silence. 

“We can’t be too careful,” Artemis said. “Besides, someone needs to let the wolf know what we’re going through outside the Woods. The sooner they sing, the sooner this nightmare can end.” 

And the sooner they can return to Tír na nÓg. Warriors’ heart fluttered in excitement at the idea of his birth realm. 

“You’re right,” Warriors said. “We should cut our losses and go to the Woods now.” 

As if they were summoned from his determination, the flaps of owl wings sounded through the skies. Artemis pulled him closer to the tree she stood under and held her breath. Warriors practically hugged the tree as he watched the owls fly by. 

Warriors thought that the Holy Spirits must have smiled upon them as he watched the owls fly by without a glance in their direction. He heard Artemis sigh in relief as the owls disappeared. 

“I didn’t think they’d catch up to us so soon,” she muttered. “It would be difficult to make a clean break to the Woods now.” 

Warriors looked to the dotted trees in the distance. “It’s possible if something leads the owls away from the Woods.” He reached for his ocarina. “I think I know how.” 

Artemis saw his action and frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re leaving for the Woods together.” 

“The era of peace made you too soft as well then, Princess,” Warriors said. “It’s the best strategic option we have. Besides, what do you recommend? Camp out here?” 

She scowled at his words. “Don’t call me ‘Princess.’” 

But she didn’t argue against his logic. Camping out here meant they would be sitting ducks if the owls returned. 

“You know I am right,” Warriors said. “We’ll try to put as much as the distance we can put between each other. Once we’re far enough, I’ll play the ocarina to summon the lights for the owls to follow. You can make a clean escape to the Woods then.” 

“At least, let me do it,” Artemis argued. “I can’t let you sacrifice yourself with a clear conscience..” 

“No, I will do it,” Warriors said. “Lie low in the Woods and find the wolf. You might also be able to find our allies hiding nearby.” 

“I can summon the lights faster than you.” 

“It’s  _ my  _ ocarina,” Warriors protectively reached his hand out to his little bag that carried his ocarina. “I know you lost your harp in the fight.” 

He stared at her down. They didn’t have the time to fight or argue about it. She was smart enough to know that.

Artemis met his gaze before sighing in defeat. “Fine.” 

“You go through the west,” Warriors said, walking away. “I’ll head back to the hut.” 

“No,” Artemis said. “You might alert the owls too early by approaching the hut. You go west, and I will take a long way around to the Woods.” 

That did make sense. Warriors changed his direction and waved without bothering to look back at her. “Good luck, Princess.” 

“Wait,” he felt his arm be pulled towards Artemis. Before he could figure out what was happening, Artemis wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” 

He momentarily stammered at the sudden course of events. Military training didn’t prepare him for this. He was pretty sure contacts like this weren’t allowed on the field. But they just lost their allies and faced a humiliating defeat. 

He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll be counting on it, Princess.” 

She pulled away first, her hand folded into her skirt. “And I am sorry. For all this.” 

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said. “You tried your best.” 

She smiled at him before walking away. “I’ll see you again in Tír na nÓg. Yell at me there.” 

He watched her walk away, wondering what that was about. They weren’t incredibly close, and she didn’t seem to be the type to initiate physical contact. Maybe he misjudged her. 

But now wasn’t the time to wonder that. He ran to the direction they agreed on, keeping one hand on his bag. There were, fortunately, no owls insight so far, but he didn’t stop running. 

After he was sure the distance was far enough, he opened his bag and reached for his ocarina. His hand met a smooth round stone tucked away into his bag. 

He stared at the stone, stunned at what he was holding. His mind reeled, trying to figure out what happened to his ocarina. Did someone switch it out with a stone as a prank, planning to give it back when the attack was over?

But before that thought could end, he knew he was wrong. He spun back to the direction where Artemis ran. 

He strained his ears, trying to hear the sound of his ocarina even if it was impossible with the great distance. He saw an owl burst out from the treeline with a screech and an empty jar. He instinctively reached for his sword, but the owl only ignored him as it swooped down to the ground away from him. Where Artemis ran off to. 

Another owl flew out and swooped down away from his sight. Followed by another. And another. 

He was paralyzed as he watched as more owls fly in with empty jars, all while ignoring him. The first owl flew away from the swarm, and even with the distance, Warriors knew the jar was full. 

_ Move _ , logic finally came to him. He tore his eyes away and continued to run; the stone still clutched in his hand. 

Why, why, why had she done that? 

They hardly talked to each other outside of training. He didn’t even know her name until recently. But she still pulled the wool over his eyes and lured the owls to her. 

He tripped on an odd lump of stone and fell to the dirt with a surprised cry. He was up on his feet in seconds, searching for owls. The sky proved to be clear much to his relief. He moved to kick the lump of stone in frustration only to stop. 

Impa’s bemused eyes met his as he slowly lowered his foot. Her face was the one of peace as she lay on the ground, completely petrified from head to toes. He stumbled away from his fallen ally only to have his feet slip over another lump of stone. 

He whirled back to find the tranquil expression on a usually cheerful Lana. A sob escaped him as he looked down at his friend. Linkle lied not too far from her. Followed by countless others that he knew and didn’t have the chance to grow close with. He tore his eyes away before he could see anymore of his allies and started to run into the Woods. But familiar faces still blurred past him as he continued to run. 

“Damn it,” he muttered as he entered the Woods. 

* * *

He has been walking for weeks and there was no sign of any faerie. 

The Woods, as he expected, wasn’t very kind to him. It demanded so much energy from and he blew through his rations before he could logically think about it. He considered hunting for wildlife so he could survive, but he couldn’t find anything to hunt. 

Birds sang in the trees, an occasional squirrel was heard scrambling by, the bushes rustled with life. But he didn’t see any animals. He certainly tried to hunt with his limited experience, but that came off futile. 

He swallowed his saliva, hoping it would help his dry throat. All his water was gone as well, and he hadn’t seen any body of clean water since he arrived in the Woods. He couldn’t help but feel like he had been stranded in the desert somewhere. 

His stomach clenched in pain and it felt like someone had stabbed him. He doubled over, his knees buckling to the ground. 

_ This is a stupid place to die _ , he scolded himself. But he found himself lying on the dirt before he knew it. 

His head grew fuzzy as the birds continued to sing in the trees, mocking his pathetic state. 

_ Don’t fall asleep, _ he told himself.  _ You still need to find the wolf _ . 

But his eyes shut against his will and the sound of birds died down. 

His eyes immediately flew open as water entered his mouth and flowed down to this throat. He coughed and spluttered, trying to spit out the water before it entered his lungs. Was he drowning?

“Oh, you’re alive,” a young voice said nonchalantly. “Good.” 

Warriors sat up, “What?”

“Hey, don’t get up too soon,” the stranger said. But Warriors still raised himself up to study the kid, trying to see how old he was. He had short blond hair covered by a green hat that Warriors used to wear until he outgrew it. His green tunic revealed that he was a Child of the Woods. 

“Who...?” Warriors attempted to speak only to cough at the dryness of his throat. 

“Here,” the kid handed him a small waterskin. “You need it more than I do.” 

Warriors was too dehydrated to check if the contents of the waterskin were safe. Besides, if the kid wanted to kill him, he would have done so when he was unconscious. He gulped down the contents of the waterskin with gusto. At the moment, he preferred this plain lukewarm water over any other beverage in the world. 

“Slow down,” the kid said. “You’ll choke.” 

Just as the kid warned him, Warriors coughed again from the sudden flow of water. Tears streamed down his face and his nose grew runny but he was drinking again as soon as he calmed down. This time he made sure to drink slower. 

He finally pulled the waterskin away from him as he felt half the contents empty; he held the water in his mouth, trying to savor it. 

The kid noticed his actions and smiled. “I can get you more if you want.” 

Warriors brought himself to swallow the water. “No, it’s fine. I am feeling better already.” 

The kid accepted the waterskin back from Warriors and pocketed it. “If you want more, say so.” 

“Who are you?” Warriors finally asked. “How did you find me?” 

“My name is Link,” the kid answered. “It was hard to miss you with your bright blue scarf.” 

Warriors’ hand reflexively raised to his homemade scarf, feeling its knitted pattern underneath his fingertips. “Guess it saved me again.” 

“What?”

“Never mind that. I am looking for someone. Do you know where the wolf is?” 

Link looked at him carefully now. “Why do you ask?” 

“I was --”  _ Sent? Tricked? Abandoned my allies? _ “--to guard them until they sing their song.”

Link remained silent before standing up. “Well, you found him. I am the wolf.” 

Warriors blinked at his luck. “Really?” 

“Do I need to prove myself to you?” 

Kind of. Warriors couldn’t afford to tag along with every Child of the Woods claimed to be the wolf. 

Link didn’t wait for an answer as he reached down to his bag and pulled out a golden fur coat. He threw it over his shoulders and buttoned it up, not batting an eye at the warm temperature. Warriors watched as Link pulled up the hood. The transformation happened in the blink of an eye and a golden wolf pup was watching him with an expectant gaze. 

Warriors continued to stare as Link returned to their faerie form with ease. 

“Why do you need to protect me, anyway?” Link asked. “The Woods are already doing their job. Meanwhile, you nearly died from dehydration.” 

“I was told that I couldn’t be too careful,” Warriors said. “We were too incautious when it came to Hylia. The only way we can stay safe is to return to Tír na nÓg. And you are the key that will allow us to return.”

Link frowned. “Is it really that bad out there? I mean, I heard rumors but I didn’t think one deity could do all that.”

“We tried to fight off against Hylia by gathering as many faeries as we can in a short time. It didn’t work out.” 

The kid’s eyes widened in shock. “I am sorry to hear that.” 

“It’s fine,” Warriors stood up, wobbling on his knees a little. “As soon as you open the way to our home, everything will be okay again.” 

Link winced at Warriors’ words. “About that… I need to tell you something.” 

“What is it?” 

“I don’t know the song to return us home.” 

Warriors blinked down at the kid, hoping he heard it wrong. “What?”

“I never had the chance to learn the song before my parents passed away. No one in the Woods knows either. Do you know?” 

“No,” Warriors admitted through his shock. “I was very young when we left Tír na nÓg.” 

“Oh.” Link down to his boots with a frown. 

Frustration came to Warriors at their situation. Who was the idiot that decided that only the wolf can open their way back home?

The sudden death of the wolves had surprised all the faeries, but they all still remained blissfully carefree until Hylia attacked them. Now they were all scrambling to survive for an extra day. Maybe this was how humans felt about being mortal. It was chilling to know that someday, he can disappear as the world continues. 

It made him want to hide away like some of the faeries had done when they refused to fight against Hylia. 

“I think,” Warriors said, an idea coming to him from his train of thought. “There may be someone who knows.” 

“Really? I asked everyone and no one said they knew the song.” 

“Have you ever stepped out of the Woods?” 

“No.” 

“Exactly. There may be a faerie out of the Woods that is old enough to know the song to return us home.” 

Link started to look hopeful before it quickly died down. “But what if Hylia got them? You said you and faeries attempted to fight against her.” 

“It’s true, but there are also faeries who chose to hide instead of confronting Hylia. I can seek them out and see if they know the song.” 

“I am coming with you,” Link said. 

“No, it’s too dangerous. You will be safer in the Woods.” 

“But it is my duty to return everyone home. The Great Deku Tree said I was the last wolf, but I don’t want to sit by and do nothing while everyone else is at risk.” 

“Hylia’s owls could get you if you are not careful, then we’ll be stuck here forever.” 

“But you’re here. You said you came to protect me, so I will be fine.” 

Warriors was flattered by the kid’s confidence in him, but he still shook his head. “And as your protector, I must ensure that you will stay safe. There is no safer place than the Woods right now. You must stay here.”

“What makes you think I will take your word for it?” Link said, crossing his arms. “Maybe I will sneak out of the Woods the moment you leave.” 

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

“I might. Who knows?” Link shot him a grin. “If only someone would keep an eye on me.” 

Warriors silently fumed as the kid continued to grin. He figured he would act as a babysitter for the wolf, but never for a situation like this. He should have kept his mouth shut about finding the other faeries. 

“Besides,” Link said, rocking back and forth on his toes with an innocent expression. “You need me to leave the Woods.” 

He was right about that much to Warriors’ frustration. “Fine,” he sighed in defeat. 

Link perked up at Warriors’ words. “Thank you! You won’t regret it.” 

“You can follow me on one condition,” Warriors said, holding up a finger. “You have to do exactly what I say no matter what. If I tell you to run, you run. And if I tell you to leave me behind to save yourself, then you will do it. The moment you step out of the line, I am dragging us back here to keep you safe. Understood?” 

Link nodded. “Before we leave the Woods, can I say goodbye to my friends first?” 

“Alright,” Warriors agreed. “Let’s go.” 

“I mean, alone.” Link said. “I will go back by myself, you wait here.” 

Warriors frowned down at the kid. “No way, I am not leaving your side. No offense, but you seem to be the type of kid that runs headfirst into trouble without a second thought.” 

“Am not.” 

“Doesn’t matter, I am not leaving you.” 

“I won’t be gone for long. I will return to you the moment I am done without any delays.” 

Warriors carefully looked down at Link. “Do you swear that you will return the moment you are done with your farewells without getting into any troubles?” 

“I swear,” Link solemnly said. Warriors supposed that was the best he could get. He did need the kid to be friendly and cooperate with him. Besides, the Woods would never harm one of their children. 

“Alright, fine,” he said. “But show me a decent place to rest first. And do you have something I could eat?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated!


End file.
